Psychopsis Mendenhall help

[vlhart]

Hi everyone--

I recently got this Psychopsis Mendenhall. It has a spike that has been cut back, but it is beginning to regrow. I'm basically looking for advice regarding repotting and watering...

--I've heard they hate repotting, but as you can see in the pics by the moss and whatnot the medium is quite broken down. Would you repot this one if it were yours?

--I've also heard that they like to sit in standing water, but I'm holding back because I know that'd be death for most orchids. Do you set yours in water?

Any advice is appreciated! (I think the yellowing leaf you see is mechanical damage but if it looks like something else, I'd like to know!) Thank you!

[Biohazard156]

Hiya!

I have a Psychopsis kalihi and when I got it, it was crammed into a tiny pot with sphagnum moss. I was wary of repotting like you are now, but I went for it and it's done fantastically well since the repot. Has it got a new growth that you can see (not the spike) or any root growth that you can see? Mine had a new growth starting so think that was a good time (like bifoliate cattleyas) to repot.

I potted in a mix of course bark and a little sphagnum in it for extra water retention. I don't leave it sitting in the water and will let it almost dry out before giving it a good soak again.

I pot all of my orchids in clear pots so I can see how they are doing root wise. Yours must have gotten way more sun than mine as the leaves on yours are mottled and mine are just green. Seems to be far less fussy than I was expecting anyway. It's been very tolerant and very good in growth and flowering!

[vlhart]

Thanks for your response! The mottling on the leaves is specific to Mendenhalls I believe--one of the reasons I had to have it as soon as I saw it! Very fun color.

There aren't any new growths, and I can't see many roots when I lift up the moss, the media is so broken down. That's one of the reasons I'm a little concerned.

At first I thought I might wait for it to bloom before repotting but it seems like these guys always have a spike. The new growth on the spike has only progressed about 1mm in three weeks, so I don't think I'll see a flower too soon..

[Biohazard156]

I'd just probably be tempted to repot anyway. I don't like the look of The moss or the wetness of the media. I'm a bit of an anal retentive potter and will do it pretty much as soon as I receive my plants (unless it's got flowers and then I might wait a week and then do it!) I like to make sure they aren't getting worse by just being left.
I have one spike which blooms a lot and the other snapped and is currently regrowing too!
I used to be afraid of orchids and now I'll just bash on and do what I feel is right! It might sulk for a bit but it should come good soon enough!

Leaves are amazing though! Very jealous of those!

[vlhart]

Thanks! Yeah I usually repot everything immediately too. Perhaps I just read one too many psychopsis repotting horror stories..

[Mandy2705]

I recently got one of these, I repotted it immediately (it's a must for all new orchids IMO)When I got it, it was potted up in big bark. Now I have it in small lava rock with a top layer of sphagnum and it's doing great. It came with a developing spike and what I thought was a new growth but has turned out to be a 2nd spike! It didn't miss a beat! And keep in mind this is after it was dropped in its original pot and media and the original spike got bent up a bit, by a guest who was staying at my house. He was looking at it in a drunken stupor think lol. Mine is a trooper ❤️ I love the foliage on this orchid, it's beautiful.

[silken]

I have a Psychopsis as well and read the same, that they are fussy and don't like being re-potted. I do prefer to wait for new growth to repot anything, but if that is not charcoal in there and is broken down bark or similar, then I would want to repot also. I potted mine in some bark and perlite and maybe a bit of moss, not sure, it grew so well that I soon had to move it up again and likely should be again! Mine is a thirsty thing so I dump water on it every few days. I do think it gets close to dry in between. Don't wait for blooms to end as mine is perpetually in spike or bloom. 3 or 4 spikes usually. You could soak it in some seaweed water and use it for a few waterings to try and encourage some new root growth once you repot.

[ThePinkCucumber]

I got a papilio a while ago, and as I've also heard they are finicky when it comes to repotting, I let it be only to find out later that the pot was filled with moss and the poor plant has lost most of its roots She is now in the 'orchid ICU' - hopefully she'll make it!
I definitely repot all new chids straight away.

[oceans0516]

I got one as well and it has been a vigorous grower after repotting. Didnt miss a beat. Just have separate issues trying to stop buds from blasting but i have new roots, growths, spikes all emerging after repot. I like to repot all my new plants so i can thoroughly inspect the roots and ck for pests esp if the media looks broken down.

---------- Post added at 03:56 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:42 PM ----------

Also regarding water, i too read on various places that some sit the plant in water but it just goes against all my instincts to do so. I have however increased frequency of watering this month and noticed it is growing faster with the extra moisture. The higher temps lately also aid in evaporation as well. All depends on your environment & media IMO.

[vlhart]

Due to everyone's suggestions to repot--I did. And you all were right! It was struggling in the broken down media, with most of the roots all on one side. The roots look pretty healthy, all considered. Repotting in a clear pot with coarse bark and perlite.

I suppose the moral of the story is that even though they're supposedly finicky, don't ignore broken down media.